Supporting someone to vote by post

What you need to know to support someone to register for and cast their postal vote.

Voting by post means the person you care for or support will receive a postal voting card in the post and they must return it by the deadline.

Why vote by post?

The advantage to voting by post is that there is more time to sit and think about who to vote for with all the voting card information available.

You can even copy the card and the person you care for or support can practice completing it before filling out the original to vote.

It also means they can post it to their local post box any time before the deadline to suit them best.

Things to be aware of

While voting by post comes with its perks, there are some important things to be aware of.

The deadline for posting the postal voting card is before election day. If it is missed the card will still need to be taken to the local polling station on election day to count.

And, if they want to vote by post there is an extra registration process. Visit this My Vote My Voice webpage to find out how to register to vote by post.

Quicks tips for supporting someone to vote by post

Create a buzz

Create colourful posters, mood boards and flashcards together and hold debates and other events where everyone can ask questions (props are positively encouraged!) and you can even invite local politicians, politics students, or other local experts.

Keep support consistent

Try to make sure there is consistency with who is supporting the person or people to cast their postal vote if there are several support workers. Dedicating a person and schedule can benefit everyone.

Take advantage of the time and comfort it provides

Sit down together with a nice drink and snack to read and talk about the process. This can take place over days while they think about who they would like to vote for.

Practice filling the form out

While you need to make sure the original postal voting card is sent back to the council, you can photocopy it or create a different version to practice on.

Make an event of posting it

It doesn’t just have to be a quick trip to the post box, you could tie it in with another fun activity or visit to somewhere they’ll enjoy.